Leeds Piano Competition 2015

[Nick Armstrong]

And so, the Leeds starts today...

Looking forward to following it, one hopes with some tastefully-presented Davey-era presentation on BBC4!

Looking at the list of competitors, the first thing I noticed is the striking preponderance of Far Eastern entrants, e.g. 17 from Korea. As against 3 from the UK.

[Barbirollians]

Didn't Yuanfan Yang come runner up in YMOTY a couple of years back ?

[CallMePaul]

Radu Lupu, Rafael Orozco, Murray Perahia and Dimitri Alexeev all had big international careers following success at Leeds, as did Viktoria Postnikova who was runner-up to Orozco (at least as far as the Soviet authorities allowed her to play in the West, which was not very often). Yet we hear little of more recent winners. Does this mean that the Leeds competition no longer has ther kudos it used to in the eyes of concert promoters, record company A&R men etc?

[ucanseetheend]

so how much is being shown on tv

[french frank]

Didn't Yuanfan Yang come runner up in YMOTY a couple of years back ?

Category finalist. And wouldn't you know - one of the three UK competitors

[french frank]

Quick before it's corrected:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b068slpj

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

[Nick Armstrong]

Finals on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th September - programme announced, all with the Hallé and Sir Mark Elder

(...on R3 at 16.00 and 20.00 on Sunday 13th September, and on BBC Four TV in three programmes starting 19.30 on Friday 18th)


Friday 11th September


TOMOKI KITAMURA

Schumann: Concerto in A minor, Op.54

I. Allegro affetuoso
II. Intermezzo
III. Allegro vivace


HEEJAE KIM

Beethoven: Concerto No.4 in G major, Op.58

I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante con moto
III. Rondo. Vivace


Interval

YUN WEI

Rachmaninov: Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30

I. Allegro ma non tanto
II. Intermezzo: Adagio
III. Finale: Alla breve



Saturday 12th September

DREW PETERSEN

Rachmaninov: Concerto No.1 in F sharp minor, Op.1

I. Vivace – Moderato
II. Andante
III. Allegro vivace



VITALY PISARENKO

Rachmaninov: Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30

I. Allegro ma non tanto
II. Intermezzo: Adagio
III. Finale: Alla breve


Interval


ANNA TCYBULEVA

Brahms: Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83

I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegro appassionato III. Andante
IV. Allegretto grazioso


Anyone been following the semi-finals extracts broadcast at lunchtimes this week? I caught today's, and will catch up with the others. The American Drew Petersen was really tremendous in Ravel and Carter (he played the latter's Piano Sonata from memory, leaving commentator Peter Donohoe grasping for superlatives as a player who's performed it often 'but never from memory'. As far as he could remember he said, he found it 'immaculate'...)

Does anyone here actually go to the concerts? What of our Yorkshire Chapter? Flay? Ferney? 8thO?

[Flay]

Does anyone here actually go to the concerts? What of our Yorkshire Chapter? Flay? Ferney? 8thO?

Sorry, no. (Maybe next year).

But I have listened to some of the lunchtime extracts. I really would not know where to start judging. They have all been so astounding.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Sorry, no. (Maybe next year).

Every three years, Flay - next one in 2018.

[Flay]

Every three years, Flay - next one in 2018.

Foiled! Such ignorance

[Pianorak]

Very impressed by Vitaly Pisarenko, but still have to listen to some of the others on iPlayer.

[Dave2002]

Is there anything on TV? I can't find anything. Also, seems unfortunate timing, with the last week of the Proms giving a rather significant clash.

I used to enjoy following earlier competitions on TV, but now it seems that there's very little. We pay our licence fee, and we get .............. Strictly. Grrrr!

[Nick Armstrong]

Is there anything on TV? I can't find anything.

See the start of my #8 above...

seems unfortunate timing, with the last week of the Proms giving a rather significant clash.

Struck me too. Bad planning, it would seem at first sight. Maybe they had to, though, to get S'Mark & his gang for instance.

[Dave2002]

See the start of my #8 above...

OK thanks - so we can perhaps enjoy seeing some of the performances, but maybe without the "thrill" of not knowing the outcomes - if we go for spoilers elsewhere. Presumably we have to listen to R3 to have that extra buzz. Not that it really matters, as we can argue that the music and performances are to be enjoyed, and that the competiion aspects and the "The winner is ............. " aspects, and all the twaddle which the presenters often manage to inject into such programmes are largely irrelevant and a distraction.